GMC SAVANA 1998 Owners Manual
Manufacturer: GMC, Model Year: 1998, Model line: SAVANA, Model: GMC SAVANA 1998Pages: 388, PDF Size: 20.04 MB
Page 101 of 388

Parking Over Things That Burn
Engine Exhaust
Engine exhaust can kill. It contains the gas
carbon monoxide (CO), which you can’t see or
smell.
It can cause unconsciousness and death.
You might have exhaust coming in if:
Your exhaust system sounds strange
Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.
0 Your vehicle was damaged in a collision.
Your vehicle was damaged when driving over
high points on the road or over road debris.
0 Repairs weren’t done correctly.
0 Your vehicle or exhaust system had been
If you ever suspect exhaust is coming into
your vehicle:
0 Drive it only with all the windows down to
Have your vehicle fixed immediately. or
different.
modified improperly.
blow out any
CO; and
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Page 102 of 388

Running Your Engine While
You’re Parked
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if
ever you have to, here are some things to know.
t-
Idling the engine with the air system control off
could allow dangerous exhaust into your vehicle
(see the earlier Caution under “Engine Exhaust”).
I Also, idling in a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide
(CO) into your vehicle even
if the fan switch is
at the highest setting. One
place this can happen
is a garage. Exhaust -- with
CO -- can come in easily. NEVER park in a
garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be
a blizzard.
(See “Blizzard” in the Index.) It can
be dangerous to get out of
yvur vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK
(P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you’ve left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You
or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re
on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to PARK (P).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won’t
move. See “Shifting Into
PARK (P)” in the Index.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing
a Trailer” in
the Index.
Locking Rear Axle (If Equipped)
If you have this feature, your locking rear axle can give
you additional traction on snow, mud, ice, sand or
gravel. It works like a standard axle most of the time,
but when
one of the rear wheels has no traction and the
other does, this feature will allow
the wheel with
traction to move the vehicle.
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Page 103 of 388

Windows
Manual Windows
To operate your manual windows, turn the hand crank
on each door to raise or lower your side door windows.
Power Windows (Option)
The driver’s door has a switch for the passenger
windows as well. Your power windows will work when
the ignition has been turned to the
RUN position.
Push the rear
of the switch with the power window
symbol on it to lower the window.
Push the front of the switch with the power window
symbol
on it to raise the window.
The driver’s window switch also has an express-down
feature that allows the window to lower without holding
the switch. Press and hold the side
of the window switch
marked AUTO for one second to activate the
express-down mode. The express-down mode can be
cancelled at any time by pressing the opposite side
of
the switch. To open the window part way, lightly tap the
switch until the window is at
the desired position.
If you have the optional power windows, the controls
are
on each of the side doors.
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Swing-Out Windows
Rear Swing-Out Window
Side Swing-Out Window
To open your side door swing-out windows, pull up on
the latch at the edge
of the window and swing the
window out and push down the latch into the locked
open position.
To close the window, pull the latch toward you and push
down on the latch
to lock it.
Your rear swing-out windows work the same way, but
the latch
is at the bottom edge of the window.
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A CAUTION:
It can be dan
swing-out windows or rear door(s) open because
carbon monoxide (CO) gas can come into your
vehicle. You can’t see or smell
CO. It can cause
unconsciousness and even death.
If you must drive with the rear swing-out
windows or rear door(s) open or
if electrical
wiring or other cable connections must pass
through the seal between the body and the rear
swing-out windows or rear door(s):
0 Make sure all windows are shut.
CAUTION: (Continued)
’ CAUTION: (Continued: -
0 Thrn the fan on your heating or cooling
system to its highest speed with the setting
on VENT, HEAT, BLEND or DEF.
Additionally, on vehicles with heatingair
conditioning systems,
NORM A/C or
BI-LEVEL A/C can be used. That will
force outside
air into your vehicle. See
“Comfort Controls” in the Index.
0 If you have air outlets on or under the
instrument panel, open them all the
way.
See “Engine Exhaust” in the Index.
Horn
Press the horn symbol in the middle of the steering
wheel to sound the horn.
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Page 106 of 388

Tilt Wheel (Option)
A tilt steering wheel allows you to adjust the steering
wheel before
you drive. You can also raise it to the
highest level to give your legs more room when you
enter and exit the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever. Move the steering wheel to a comfortable level,
then release the lever
to lock the wheel in place.
Turn SignaUMultifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes your:
Turn Signal and Lane Changer
Headlamp HighLow Beam Changer
0 Windshield Wipers
Windshield Washer
Cruise Control (Option)
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Turn Signal and Lane Change Signals
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow
you to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up
or down. When the turn is finished, the lever
will return automatically.
&I An arrow on the instrument
II
panel will flash in the
direction
of the turn or
lane change.
I I
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to flash. Hold it there
until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by
itself when you release it. As you signal
a turn or a
lane change, if the arrows flash
at twice the normal rate, a signal bulb may be burned
out and other drivers may not see your turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace
it to help avoid an
accident. If the arrows don’t
go on at all when you
signal a turn, check for burned-out bulbs and a blown
fuse (see “Fuses and Circuit Breakers”
in the Index).
Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam to high or high
to low, pull the multifunction lever all the way toward
you. Then release it.
When the high beams are
on, this light on the
instrument panel also will
be
on.
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Windshield Wipers
You control the windshield
wipers by turning the band
with the wiper symbol on it.
For a single wiping cycle, turn the band
to MIST. Hold
it there until the wipers start, then let
go. The w-ipers will
stop after one cycle. If you want more cycles, hold the
band
on MIST longer.
You can
set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wipes. This can be very useful
in light rain or
snow. Turn the band
to choose the delay time. The
closer to
LOW, the shorter the delay. For steady wiping at low speed, turn the band
to the
LOW position.
For high-speed wiping, turn the band
further, to HIGH.
To stop the wipers, move the band
to OFF.
Remember that damaged wiper blades may prevent
you from seeing well enough to drive safely. To avoid
damage, be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper
blades before using them. If they are frozen to
the
windshield, carefully loosen or thaw them. If your
blades do become damaged, get new blades or
blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice
can overload your wipers. The
windshield wiper motor
is protected from overload by a
circuit breaker and a fuse. If
the motor overheats due to
heavy snow, etc., the wiper will stop until the motor cools.
Although the circuit is protected from electrical overload,
overload due
to heavy snow, etc. may cause wiper linkage
damage. Always clear ice and heavy snow from the
windshield before using your windshield wipers.
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Windshield Washer
At the top of the lever, there’s a paddle with the word
PUSH on it. To spray washer fluid on the windshield,
push the paddle.
I A CAUTION:
Cruise Control (Option)
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 kdh) or more without keeping your foot
on the accelerator. This can really help on long trips.
Cruise control does not work at speeds below about
25 mph (40kmh).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control
shuts off.
In freezing weather, don’t use your washer until
the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the windshield, blocking
your vision.
Washer fluid will spray as long as you push the paddle.
When
you let go of the paddle, the wipers will continue
to wipe for approximately two more wipe cycles and
then either stop
or return to the preset speed.
L
A CAUTION:
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can’t drive safely at a steady speed.
So,
don’t use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don’t
use cruise control on slippery roads.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
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Setting Cruise Control Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake. This, of course, shuts off
the cruise control. But you don’t need
to reset it.
Once you’re going about
25 mph (40 kmh) or more,
you can
move the cruise control switch from ON to R/A
(Resume/Accelerate) for about half a second.
You’ll
go right back up to your chosen speed and
stay there.
Remember, if
you hold the switch at R/A longer than
half a second, the vehicle will keep going faster until
you release the switch
or apply the brake. So unless you
want
to go faster, don’t hold the switch at R/A.
I
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you’re not using cruise, you might hit
a button
and
go into cruise when you don’t want to. You
could be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control switch
off until you want to use it.
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3.
4.
Press in the SET button
at the end of the lever
and release it.
Take your foot off
the
accelerator pedal.
Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
Push the button at the end
of the lever, then release
the button and the accelerator pedal. You’ll now
cruise at the higher speed.
0 Move the cruise switch from ON to R/A. Hold it
there until you get up to the speed you want, and
then release the switch. To increase your speed in
very small amounts, move
the switch to R/A for less
than half
a second. Each time you do this, your
vehicle will go about 1 mph (1.6 kdh) faster.
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